Trapped

Yesterday was an off day for me. I had to wake up and do yard work I was voluntold to do. A requirement for Crew is that you have to do 3 "volunteer" rent-a-rowers to earn $65 each, hence being voluntold. For these you go to a meeting spot at about 7:30 in the morning, get assigned a job and go out and work for whoever has ordered a rower. I was assigned to a couple who are both Purdue faculty. They had us do some yard work, trimming, raking, ect. It was a nice day, they fed us, and tipped us so that was not too bad of an experience. It was really nice to get off campus. I didn't realize until this morning how nice it felt to be off campus for a while. I had a strange feeling yesterday after being done with the work and returning to the boat house, but I went to sleep that night with ever pinpointing that strange feeling. This morning I woke up and knew exactly what it was. I feel trapped. I feel trapped on campus. Last year I was living on my own, had a car, and could go wherever I pleased provided that I have the gas money. I hate feeling confined to one spot. Even this summer while I was working at summer camp I felt trapped. So on my weekends off I would run. The decision was usually made just before curfew at midnight. I walked the mile and a half to my car, laundry and other travel supplies in hand. Jumped in my car and drove the hour and a half to Indianapolis where old family friends live. They have been in my life since my parents got me from the PHilippines, so they are like a second family. I just walk in and sleep there whenever I please.

I loved it at camp and I love it here at Purdue, but somedays I have the insatiable desire to get away. Just take a little break from my reality. Hopefully I find an escape or the feeling passes with a little bit of time.

Let's do the Bow-Meow!

So I love college for what it is. Be it the amazing people I meet on a daily basis or the extensive amount of work that we are expected to do. I feel like these are the things that will mould us into the wise adults that we would (hopefully) become in the future. However, if there was one thing that I could change about college, it would be the “no pets allowed in dorms” rule. I was fortunate enough to have at least one pet throughout every stage of my childhood. Hence, coming to college and living without one is turning out to be extremely difficult. As of now, I have four cats (Dobbs, Persie, Oreo and Kaka) and a dog (Mojo) back home. Contrary to what people might think, they are all very friendly towards each other and I feel like my little puppy is slowly starting to get some cat-like characteristics! So now that I have successfully digressed from my topic and started ranting about my pets (like I always end up doing), I would like to go back and highlight as to why pets are so important in our lives. Most people take them for granted and never take note of how much of a difference they actually make in our lives. In my case, my pets have taught me some of life’s most important lessons. By watching my cat take care of her baby kittens, I learnt the true meaning of responsibility. By watching my dog just be himself, I understood the true meaning of loyalty. Witnessing my baby kittens slowly make their way towards becoming fully grown cats helped me understand the true meaning of independence. Seeing my dog tear up when I am hurt or depressed helped me comprehend the true meaning of empathy. And the list goes on… As a matter of fact, studies have shown that people with pets tend to live longer that those without pets. Why you ask? Well, it is pretty simple; people with pets around them are happier humans and happier humans live longer than depressed ones. So go find a pet and GET HAPPY! J

Halloween Weekend

My Halloween weekend so far (Friday and Saturday) was also not too special. I did go see the Rocky Horror Picture Show play on Friday night and it was a very unique experience overall. My friend was one of the main characters in the play and I would say that he did a great job acting. He did have some really funny scenes where he had to dress up in only underwear and pretend to “get it on” with a guy. After the play, we got Subway and walked back to the dorms where we watched a few episodes of South Park and both Harold and Kumar movies. Saturday was a pretty fun day because my Resident Assistant organized people from our floor to play basketball at the recreation center. We played for about an hour and a half and our game was so competitive that people were fouling and falling every few minutes. Aside from the competitive aspect of the game, we all had a lot of fun just socializing outside of the dorm floor and going out as a group. On Saturday night I ended up doing some homework and then doing laundry at midnight. While doing laundry with a bunch of friends, we found the best way to pass time in the laundry room. Since we were pretty much the only ones down in the laundry room, we decided to play catch with a mini-football that a friend had. Even though this idea may seem childish or kind of weird, it was a lot of fun causing some mayhem down in the laundry room. After laundry, a bunch of friends and I watched some horror movies until 5:00 in the morning. We watched both Cabin Fever movies and the first Descent movie. The movies were pretty good for horror movies nowadays and they provided a lot of blood and gore to keep us watching.

Anthropology and It's Effects on Cultural Interactions

Case One – There are many cases, even in the English language, where one word can have more than one meaning. I think that Mr. Nolan’s friend should have caught on that the farmer was telling him the right information and he should have probably asked the farmer where the city of Tunis. The mix up of words is usually common for people speaking the same language, but from different cultural perspectives.

Case Two – I understand Grayzel’s view of making the system more efficient, but I think it is easy for aid workers to tend to forget about or sometimes disregard the traditional aspects of the native people. Even though they are trying to help, the planners should take the natives’ beliefs and values into consideration when creating a new plan.

Case Three – It is very interesting how the steel axe has changed almost everything about the Yir Yoront’s social roles. I feel that the axe has allowed for the societal roles of the Aboriginal group to become more equalized and balanced, while also improving their methods of survival.

My Halloween Night.... Not so Scary

It has been many years since I have gotten to go Trick-or-Treating, but I still enjoy Halloween. I didn’t get a costume this year, and I probably won’t go to one of the parties because I will be busy working on ENGR 131 homework, but I think I will still have a fun Halloween. In the past, I would watch the old Halloween movies, the ones with Michael Myers, while I waited for Trick-or-Treaters to come by for candy. This year, I will probably stay in my room working on homework and enjoying the new, Halloween episode of How I Met Your Mother. If anyone follows the show, this episode is going to be legen- wait for it….. –dary. Ted is finally going to meet the Slutty Pumpkin, a character that was first mentioned seven seasons ago when the show was first introduced. The Slutty Pumpkin is going to be played by Katie Holmes, and is referred to as “the Slutty Pumpkin” because she wears a pumpkin costume that is carved in certain areas that make the costume “slutty.” Anyways, for big-time fans of the show, like me, this will be a pretty exciting Halloween. Also, if you don’t watch How I Met Your Mother, I highly suggest it. It is one of the best television sitcoms ever created. It is a thousand times better than Two and a Half Men, if you are familiar with other sitcoms from CBS. If I find myself with nothing else to do Monday night, I will probably try to find one of those old Halloween movies on the internet and watch it. One last thing I will do on Halloween, since it is the last day of the month, is shave in preparation for No-Shave-November. I want to start with a clean face so I can gauge how much facial hair I can grow in a month, since this will be the first year I will be participating.

Development Anthropology

Case Study One:

I don’t think it is too unusual to encounter a culture that has the same word for two different things. This occurs overwhelmingly in the English language. However, I completely understand the display of frustration on the part of the friend and the farmer.

Case Study Two:

It makes sense to me that the USAID planners would encounter problems with the indigenous population’s beliefs. That is a factor that many don’t take into consideration when trying to “help” a foreign people. Aid workers tend to have a closed mindset as they try to accomplish THEIR goals, and don’t take the wishes of the natives into consideration.

Case Study Three:

I find it interesting that the introduction of a new type of old tool into a culture could influence that culture so drastically. It’s amazing to think that a culture’s economy, class system, and foreign relationships could all be based on a tool that many people rarely use today in the U.S.

Rocky Horror Picture show SUCKS

I know I was said I was going to talk about another restaurant this week but I recently ran into something this week that I need to get out. I saw Rocky Horror Picture Show at the PMU. It was the worst piece of crap I have seen in all my years on this earth. It started out weird and confusing for me, having never seen it, and devolved into the most perverted, most incomprehensible, and stupidest piece of shit that I have ever seen being made into film. I went with a group of friends where some had seen it. They all assured me that it was weird but the didn’t convey on what kind of atrocity it was on. One member of the group left before seeing it, and I envy her. I wish I could wash out the memory of this film. I left half way in and that much is still to much for me. I can’t say it enough, if someone invites you to see Rocky Horror Picture Show, turn around and sprint the other way. It is like those mean kids who told you to watch Two Girls one Cup, a film famed for its atrocity and disgustingness unmatched by any other video. I can’t say this enough, “DON’T GO SEE ROCKY HORROR PITCTURE FILM.”

Week 11 Case Study Responses

Case Study One Response

Even though I know this is made up, I can’t see anybody being as rude as your friend If I had repeated something and got the same answer I would understand he is not understanding it the same way as you and try to explain it to him a different way. I would say something along the lines of “The city, where this [Name of Company] is located.” If my friend had started jumping up and down, I would have slapped him in the back of the head.

Case Study Two Response

Although I understand where Grayzel is coming from, I would agree with the planners coming up with the idea for more efficient herding. I would view that belief system as obstacle and an x-factor in planning. It should be talking into consideration but not necessarily taking as the basis. The basis should be the most efficient way of herding.

Case Study Three Response

Although this is a interesting case, the missionaries could not be known this would. This was not necessary a bad thing, because it equalized the society more in its roles.

Dorm Life

I did not know a single person when I arrived here at Purdue for the first time. Aside from attending Boiler Gold Rush, I knew that I would have to make friends on my dorm floor, especially since I would be spending the next year with them. At first I was very nervous and hesitant to move in because people seemed like they already knew each other when I moved in. However, when I arrived on my dorm floor, I was immediately greeted by fellow dorm neighbors and asked if I needed any help. It was not long before I got to know most people on my dorm floor. As the weeks went by, I grew closer to the people on the floor and I even found out that I had classes with some of them. Our Resident Assistant is an extremely friendly person and he organizes weekly events, from floor dinners to intramural sports. I would say that my participation in these activities and interaction with my fellow floor neighbors has contributed immensely to my dorm living experience.

Now, I am close friends with a good majority of the people on my floor and I am comfortable just being on my floor. I now usually always leave my door open and wander around to other rooms to take a break or watch TV. I usually play the football video game Madden in my friend Andrew’s room whenever I need to unwind or just have fun. Every week, there is always someone in Andrew’s room either playing video games or watching TV. Recently, a bunch of people crowd into his room on Wednesday nights to watch new episodes of South Park. It is very easy to feel “at home” on my dorm floor because there is always something fun going on which allows me to keep my sanity whenever I need to take a study break or just need to relax.

Wk 10 Identity

This chapter on identity was very intriguing to me. I feel that as college students defining our identity is a big challenge we face throughout these years. The topic I found most interesting in this chapter was Identity Security. I will try to only speak for myself because identity is a self discovery. This section discussed the different ways in which individuals find security in identity as a group and how that varies. Instead of restating all of the section I will define my identity security.

As I have stated in other blog posts, I was adopted from the Philippines and raised in suburban Indiana by a white family in a predominately white community. I define my personal identity as something different than my outward identity. Personal identity meaning how I view myself. If I were to give someone groups that I identify myself with they would be followers of Christ, ethnically Filipino, upper middle class, and a Purdue engineering student. There was a solid period of time throughout the last couple of years that defining certain aspects of my identity were very difficult, and sometimes still are. Growing up its easy to see that the white family with the little Asian girl in the super market adopted her. There was a pretty memorable moment last year while I was living on my own that my parents came to visit. We went grocery shopping and while we were there they went up to the deli counter with me trailing behind. My parents told the worker what they wanted while I was just wandering back and forth looking at everything. The worker turned to address me and said, “I’ll be with you in a moment after I help these customers.” Obviously my response was, “I’m with them.” Internally, that was a life shaking moment.

Its hard to firmly identify myself as a Filipino because I don’t know the traditions, i don’t know the mannerisms, the language, and whatever other aspects may be crucial to defining oneself as such. At the same time I obviously can’t tell people that I’m white when they so bluntly ask, “what are you”? Over much internal debate I’ve decided my conflicting feelings about self definition and identity come from feeling inferior to other Filipinos. I have it worked up in my head that I am not “Filipino enough” to classify myself as such.

For the most part I am a very confident person and secure in who I am. Things like racial and ethnic definition, which seems like it should be so clear, are the hardest for me to wrestle with. For these reasons identity security is a very interesting topic of discussion.

Food Critic

I was bored this weekend and though of what it would be like to work for the exponent. If I did work for the exponent I would be a food critic. Its not that I have taken a fancy cooking course or am planning to be a chef, I just grew up around food. Both of my parents cook extensively and a few things have rubbed of on me. They have broadened my horizon in food with the ever-present saying, “Don’t knock it till you try it.” So here is my first restaurant critic.

Oishi

13 East State Street, West Lafayette, IN

(765) 743-3838 ‎

Oishi has the best Asian food I have had since arriving on campus. We have all heard of the mythical second menu at Asian restaurants, only known to those who can speak fluent Mandarin. If there is such a thing, then that is Oishi’s menu. While coming to campus I have explored some of the different ethnic inspired restaurants. This is one of the few places that stay as true as it can to that of its homeland. Although it has more exotic food (to some) like a very traditional duck while other more Americanized dishes like Orange Chicken are there to not scare of some of the lest broadened places. My dad always said, “The best Chinese food is were the Asians go.” This is the place, I being the only non- Asian at the time. The only complaint I have is the wait. On like most restaurants around the campus this is a sit down meal that you have to wait longer then 20 minutes for. When I did get my food it was defiantly worth the wait.

Please help me, GELC!

I am using Global Engineering Cultures and Practice Learning Community for the community project in Engl 106. In order to complete my PSA video, I will need some pictures of activities that our learning community has sponsored. The pictures should exemplify the friendships we have formed in the GELC, and show how much fun it is to be in the learning community. I was hoping somebody reading this will have some pictures that you could copy to me so I can make my PSA authentic to the GELC. Also, I will be making a brochure and website about GELC and I was hoping you could provide some suggestions as to what you would like to see in a media that is advertising our learning community. Perhaps you have an issue with the learning community that you would like me to address, or you think you have a unique reason for being in the learning community. I will be happy to hear whatever you have to say, so don’t feel like your input is not worth my time, it is. Don’t get me wrong, I am not being lazy by trying to get you to do my project for me; I was just hoping to get alternative perspectives from other members of the learning community before I make these advertisements that represent us. I have my own ideas and perspective of the learning community, but I know that I am just one person of over 30 in the learning community and that I can’t possibly know what everyone thinks about the Global Engineering Learning Community. So, if you have any suggestions or have some pictures of GELC activities, please leave a comment and let me know. If you do have a picture, I will let you know how to send it to me.

Thanks,

Slim

"Positive" Prejudice

One thing in the reading that I found interesting, but already knew about, is the fact that even if a prejudice seems like a positive one, it is still negative because it can offend some people. I found this topic interesting because the author provided reasons and examples in the form of hypothetical situations to explain why this is the case. For instance, the prejudice that whites are better off in society than other groups, therefore no white people need any special financial assistance. I had never thought of this scenario when thinking of “positive” stereotypes. Another example in the text was about how Jews are very helpful to one another. In the scenario, a man, who is not a Jew, gets a flat tire while traveling and nobody stops to help him fix it. Then, remembering advice he heard from his grandmother, he puts on a kippa, a head covering that Jewish males wear; and soon, a group of Orthodox Jews stop to help him. This example seems to portray a positive prejudice that Jews are very helpful, however it is also stating that Jews only help other Jews, which makes this prejudice extremely harmful.

Community - Strong and Weak

I think that a community is a group of people that have a common trait or interest that brings them together. Communities can come in all types of forms such as: online gaming communities, residence hall/floor communities, sports communities, and even national organizations. The strength of the community is strongly dependent on the size and interaction within the community, although non-interaction with members if the community does not exclude anyone from it. For example, people that live in a large city are all part of that community, yet it is highly unlikely that each person knows and interacts with all members of the city. However, in smaller communities where members interact more often, such as this Global Engineering Learning Community, are usually more meaningful to its members. The reason for this is because members of the community feel like they know each other on a more personal level, even if they do not know the other members in “real life.” For example, a small online-only community of people can also be very strong because people who might be shy in person can express themselves online without having to worry about some of the physical consequences that occur in real life.

Communities that thrive and have success/stability are ones that interact to address situations and solve problems. Conflicting opinions are more likely to occur in larger communities that are not interaction-based. In order to address these issues communities usually have open discussions or ways for it members to express their opinions in how to solve the problem. In most communities there is a leader or organizer that is usually the representative or spokesperson for the group that has more “say” in the decisions made. The communities that are unhappy are unsuccessful are mainly the ones that do not interact or come together to fix a common problem.

Structures

This article focuses on medieval weapons, specifically catapults. There were two catapult designs presented here, the trebuchet and the torsion mangonel. Each were heavy machines used mostly in Europe. Prior to the trebuchet’s domination, the torsion model was common. The efficiency and accuracy achieved by the trebuchet catapult caused the torsion model to become obsolete. The article described further why the trebuchet was the dominant model. In physics my junior year, we were given a fairly “choose as you wish” project that we had to construct or demonstrate something that we could explain some section of our physics book. I built a working model of a trebuchet. The project was a blast and once I cleaned up all the kinks, the catapult was accurate and consistent.

First defining a structure in this connection is necessary. The war machines described in the article can be considered structures and infrastructure makes up the foundation of a city. Conflict can arise within a city or nation, but it can also be found within a city or nation. When building war machine structures the group must decide what its specific tasks are. To determine that the group must understand the opponents infrastructure and its weak points. By understanding these weak points, a group can build the most efficient war structure to conquer the opposing group, thus solving the conflict with a victory. The relationship between structures and infrastructure is all relative to the needs of the individual structures. An engineer must understand the needs and tasks a certain structure is to preform to design something that is actually useful. Without that information, the structure has no purpose and is therefore not beneficial to those the structure was designed for. In the case that conflict arises within a nation, infrastructure can have a lot to do with that. Solid infrastructure will always thrive over the more poorly constructed regions of an area. Moral of the story, solid infrastructure will be beneficial in the long run and make physical conflict a more difficult way to approach issues that arise between two parties.

Ancient Middle East Structures

1. 1. The article shows how different types of trebuchets and mangonels were used to accomplish various tasks. These ancient designs and structures show how civil engineers in today’s society design certain structures that fit a specific need.

2. 2. The ancient Middle East structures that I am familiar with are:

- The pyramids of Egypt: the pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs of Egypt and they have probably survived for so long due to the materials it is made out of and its shape.

- The Dome of the Rock – this structure was made in the 7^th century and is located at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is a sacred structure to both Muslims and Jews because the Muslims believed it is the place where Muhammad ascended into heaven, while Jews believe it the location where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac to God. I am not sure how it has survived for so long, but I know that it has been refurbished several times.

3. 3. Grand structures in ancient cultures were often built in order to honor someone or something. The structures were built with so much passion and precision because the cultures building the structure believed that they were building the structure for a very important person or event. Buildings also developed into defense structures from war and extreme weather.

MyPurdue

Coming from a school which only had 22 students in its graduating class, Purdue was a huge jump for me. The fact that I did not “know” all the students in my classes, let alone Purdue, perturbed me. Unlike most other students here at Purdue, I went to a small private school in the Middle East. It was a norm for people to know the names and at least a 100-word set of information about every other student in the school. Coming to Purdue, I knew that such a thing could only remain as an un-attainable dream. Initially, I couldn’t make up my mind on whether deciding to go to a big school was a good decision or not. But now, I can confidently say that choosing a big school was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Every day I meet new people, be it on a bus or while having lunch. I remember some better than the others. This could be the result of either one of the two:

1) I see them at regular time intervals

2) They said/did something that caught my attention or in other words, left a lasting mark in my mind.

Living on a campus with a lot of people, I feel, results in increased learning. Purdue houses students from all walks of life. As I communicate with each one of these boilermakers, I get connected to the world that they come from. So far, I have interacted with students from all the countries that my mind could think of (and even of some which I never knew existed!). Purdue is more or less like a cultural melting pot, enriched with precious, great minds, from all over the world that are set to make change. So this week, let us all make that extra effort to get to know as many people as we can. Let us try to comprehend their world, life and culture. Let us work towards having deeper, more meaningful talks. I feel like doing this would help us become better “Global Engineers”.

Communities

My definition of a community is a group of people that have something in common with each other that brings them together, whether it is physically or through some sort of medium. Interaction amongst the members should occur, but isn’t a requirement to be a part of the community, because there are many communities in which some members never interact or meet. For instance, a person who is a resident of a town means he or she is a member of a community; however, there is a slim chance that any particular resident knows every single other resident. Likewise, there may be a resident that doesn’t interact with any other members of the community, yet he or she is still a resident and member of the community because that particular individual has something in common with the other members, local residency. The larger the community, the more likely issues will arise amongst its members due to the greater variety in personal opinions and behaviors. In a community, such as a town or city, issues over taxes, utilities, infrastructure maintenance, and emergency services, among others, may arise. To deal with these issues, town and city hall meetings are usually open to the community to allow the public to voice their concerns and provide their input into the conversation. Residential communities usually try to attract new residents by lowering taxes, providing a sense of security, or with perks such as a booming economy and recreational attractions. Towns and cities benefit from a larger community membership in the form of a higher tax income which will support an improved infrastructure and better emergency and community services. However, with increased membership comes the risk of “bad apples” making things difficult for the other members of the community. This is another issue that communities have to deal with.

Structural Engineering in Ancient Conflicts

1. The article focused on how the various designs and structures of trebuchets and mangonels affected their efficiency and purpose. This closely parallels how civil engineers design the structures of buildings and bridges to reflect a specific purpose and to maximize energy efficiency.

2. Some ancient Middle Eastern structures that I am familiar with are:

The pyramids of Egypt- They were built as tombs for the pharaohs of Egypt and were often modeled after celestial phenomena, such as constellations. The largest have survived weathering due to their massive size, while the smaller ones have succumbed to the elements.

The Sphinx- I believe it was built to honor a pharaoh. I don’t know how it has managed to survive for so long because it doesn’t seem like it would handle weathering very well.

3. Nations often develop their greatest technologies under the threat of conflict. War has long been a struggle between the technologies of the opposing sides. When one side develops a new weapon, the other must develop an innovative defense for that weapon. In most cases, these defenses are structures, such as castles. Therefore, technologies to build stronger, safer buildings were developed.

Medieval Middle East Structure

1. A civil engineer is just a engineer who designs large structures taking into consideration the physics and other outside influences that will effect the structure. Their job is to make the structures last as long as possible. The trebuchets and mangonel are just a different type of structure.

2. My impressions of the Middle East are big sweeping buildings. Buildings that would be in Aladdin or Lawrence of Arabia. I know very little outside of what I have seen in movies and history books.

3. Like in medieval Europe, the man with most money had much bigger houses then those without money. It is much the same relationship with a westerns castle as it is in the medieval Middle East. Both cultures had the rich in big houses, while the poor either lived in the houses to serve them or lived in small huts. The only diffrence is in the style of the different houses.

First Chapter of my Book

This is the first chapter of my book. Please leave comments on it.

Prelude

There I am at a great summer program that will land me at a great college. I spend with my newly met friend how is also attending. I live up that last of my increasingly short carefree childhood before I take on life’s adventure. There is something reserved about my new friend. Almost as if she is watching and calculating us, fingering the small iron key on her necklaces. The key, bent in one are but straightened out and hid over do not bother me for we are all teens and we are acquired and must be reserved and calculating to make in to the mysteries of college and beyond.

Chapter 1 – The Chance

“I will Study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come”
- by Abraham Lincoln

Here I am, Michael Stultus Animus, I exit my plane at Washington DC. Their I am everything I on is on the duffel bag at my side or on the one box at the college I will go to next week.

I walk the streets of our capital until I reach the cheap motel my parents got me until I leave for my new life. I then am forced by boredom to walk the streets. I desperately search to find something I can grasp onto that is familiar to me. I stop at the woods one of the small state parks that dot the capital, or so I see on my map. It reminds of the small forest that surrounds Houston.

As I head into the woods for some time to myself when a scream shatters the cool evening air. I another thing familiar, the girl I meet on the summer program, Sarah. It stoned me that she would be out in the woods, since she was from New York City. More stunning was the 7 foot; pig faced; bald headed; evil eyed; muscle bound; … Well you get the picture that was attacking her. She was fighting valiantly but ineffectively with her petite 5 foot 2 inches body.

I hear over her yelling the sound of the man deep voice saying, ”Just calm down … “ grunting from a good hit he pauses to swing back and backhand her to the ground.

“We just want to ask you some questions.” He resumed, huffing with the exertion of the scuffle.

Without sparring a second more to think, my tall but lanky 6 foot body shot out toward him. Even though 160 pounds doesn’t sound like a lot pack behind it the testosterone pumping male teenage body and it does damage. I slammed him into the tree knocking him up, hopefully, for a while.

Not so much as stopping for a thank you Sarah scrambled to her feet and shot through the woods, like a bat out of hell. Brian kicking in, hoping for a thank you (or a kiss) sprinted right behind her. Although with her adrenaline pumping like a life or death fight can only get it, pulled her away from me.

She burst back into the city and quickly wound her way through the crowed streets.. As she pulled around a corner into a uncrowded alley, I feared I would lose her. I leapt around the corner to ram street into a wall of meat.

Being flung back, I see a flash of light as the man punches me sending me sprawling on the ground were my head throbs horribly. I look around groggily and see Sarah on the ground behind the man how had just assaulted me. After attempting to struggling to my feet and failing I fall back and let the darkness fade in.

Through the haze I hear the voice of the mysterious man before say, “Take him too, the little bugger broke my noise”. Smiling at least doing something I faded into unconsciousness.

Asian and American Cultures

1. I feel for the most part, Asian cultures work hard and are more dedicated to their studies/jobs than other cultures. From my experiences, especially here at Purdue, the majority of Asian people that I have seen are immersed in American culture, from clothing and shoes to the music they listen to.
2. I feel that almost all Asian people think that Americans are ignorant and selfish because we only speak English and are obsessed with social status. I think that Asian cultures get their stereotypes of Americans from the pop culture that comes from America, such as movies, music, sports, and celebrities that are unique to the U.S.
3. The pros of Asian engineering are the relatively low price and mass amounts at which things are made while the cons could be that the products are pretty basic and do just enough to get the job done. The pros of American engineering are the time it takes to produce something and the quality of the product is above average, while the cons could be the life of the product and the maintenance that can come with it down the road.
4. If I was to study in Asia I would try to learn about the country’s culture and their social mannerisms. The one thing that I would most be afraid of is the language barrier that I would have to overcome.

Week 7

I feel like impression about Asians is very different from a majority of Asians, or Americans. I was adopted at 6 months old and was raised in a suburban, predominately white community. To the world of people that don’t know me personally they see Asian, sometimes Hispanic which is always weird when they start speaking spanish and all I can do is stare back and smile. That is one of my biggest pet peeves for obvious reasons. From that background when I see someone else who looks Asian, one of my first thoughts is, will they see me and think that I’m “not Asian enough.”

My general impression about Asians is that they are people just like everyone else first, then they are Asian, just like anyone who is Hispanic is a person before they are Hispanic in my head. I usually find that if there are a couple of Asians put in a group, the will gravitate towards each other, but who doesn’t gravitate towards what’s familiar? Due to the family values a lot of Asians were raised with, they work hard and are respectful towards their elders.

Some Asians think very highly of Americans. In the Philippines, people would see my parents and in a heart beat be there to help them in stores, give them taxi rides, and in general you could see a sense of respect solely based on their appearance. Other times American are seen to be ignorant. Big headed, money grubbing, selfish, pompous individuals. Of course, there are exceptions for both cultures.

The third question depends a lot on what aspect of engineering is being discussed. American engineering is done with cost, time, and quality somewhat equally considered. Asian engineering, again depending on which aspect of engineering is being discussed, is done quickly and in the masses. Pros of American engineering, its high quality enough to get the job done pretty well while being relatively affordable. Cons, when the demand of a product is high, it is difficult to keep productrion rates high. Pros of Asian engineering, things are done quickly and in large quantities. Cons, quick and in bulk cuts into quality.

If I were planning to study or work in Asia, I would like to learn more about the mindset of the culture. In the Philippines there was a less dismal feeling. Maybe because it was only a visit, but still less dismal than big cities here that people are so focused on getting from point A to B without any regard to the people around them. I would most be afraid of the communication barrier. I unfortunately do not know any other language than English.

Alright All-nighter

Time management is the key. We have all heard this adage time and again, but do we actually go ahead and apply its true meaning into our lives? In the recent past, most of us here at Purdue were hit by a terrible thunderstorm (a.k.a EXAMS). So as I saw myself and a couple of my friends pulling of one all-nighter after another, I was forced to think if this is what college is all about. Does college demand us to stay up all night and complete all our assignments or does the ghost of procrastination ruin it for us? After giving this issue some thought, I came to the conclusion that we all have the freedom to make our own decisions in college. This is very different from high-school, at least for me as I had my mom constantly keep pushing me to keep up with my school work. On the other hand, in college, we are forced to fend for ourselves. Hence as we taste our first few drops of freedom, there is a chance that we may take the “wrong” decision. For example, who among us has not gone to a movie in spite of having an assignment due that night? I may sound like a mom in this particular blog of mine but hey, it is high time we wake up and smell the coffee. As a matter of fact, writing this blog has made me realize many of my shortcomings in terms of dealing with college life. I’d like to conclude this blog by saying that be careful with the way you spend your time. Be stingy, very stingy. Remember that every minute counts and things will only get faster, more exciting and sadly, harder. Get yourself organized before it is too late. If you already have a decent schedule then that is great! Going further, if everyone reading this blog already has a perfectly organized life then it would be extremely awkward so please pretend you have a messed up life while you read this blog.

Week 7 Response

1. My honest opinion is that they work hard. They aren’t any smarter then we are. The Asian friends that I new while in high school studied harder and longer then I did. Thus they did better in school. It wasn’t a big difference but it meant the difference between a B and an A. Now that two of my roommates are from China that opinion hasn’t really changed. Some study harder then others but on a case-to-case basis, they study harder then their American counterparts.

2. Some of the impressions I get from non-Americans is the idea that we are ignorant. We give to the rest of the world a sort of self-righteous feeling that has crossed over into arrogances.

3. We encourage more indivuals speaking on ideas while they have a more rigid sonority structure. Their seniority structure would make it easier to organize ideas and who to pass ideas along to. Ours might be a little more chaotic.

4. I would not fear anything. It is one the places I want to travel most. To prepare I would learn some key phrases, such as “Thank You” “Embassy” and “Help.” I would also bring a small dictionary. Since I have already consumed a lot of Asian media, I don’t think I would need to learn too much on the cultural side.

Learning Community Expansion

I wouldn’t mind the expansion of our learning community from 30 students to 45 students. This would still allow the students of the learning community to get to know each other and work together. Another English class might be needed for the extra students, but the learning community can accommodate one more class into the collaborative course structure. With this amount of students, the learning community events would still be small scale, which would make it easy for students to interact with each other socially. In fact, I think expanding the learning community to accommodate another 15 students would be very beneficial for everyone. It would allow more students the opportunity to join a learning community, and it would allow students to get to know a wider range of new people.

Increasing the learning community size to about 120, however, would have many issues. Even though the students would be put into groups to maintain the “community” sense during Engineering 103, the overall number of students will make Engineering 103 feel exactly like Engineering 131, or any other class for that matter. Students like the feeling that they can get to know their teachers and that the teachers can get to know them. This is nearly impossible with a class size of nearly 120. Events for the Global Engineering Learning Community would become no more than a mass gathering of students, which will greatly reduce the options of what events can be planned. It would be difficult to have 120 students go bowling all at once or play billiards all at once. I don’t even think PMU’s Rack ‘n Roll can accommodate that many students even if half went bowling while the other half played billiards. The purpose of learning communities is to provide students with a social network that has a foundation in classes that are shared where student-student interaction is possible.

Asian and American Cultures

Based on the reading, which I found very interesting, my impression of Asians is that they are open-minded in the sense that they figure out how each person fits into the larger-scale community. I think that, since Americans are more culturally rooted in Greek culture, Asians probably view Americans as people who constantly pursue self-gratification. The Chinese engineering culture utilizes the practice of feng shui when designing buildings, which can be aesthetically pleasing and relaxing to the owners and visitors of the building. However, feng shui is so important to Chinese culture and engineering that the construction of a building can be delayed until a feng shui expert is called and gives his or her opinions on the structure. American engineering takes a scientific approach to a problem. This can be more efficient in terms of time and money, but can also leave a structure lacking in positive aesthetic qualities. If I were preparing to work in Asia, I would want to learn about how their culture and beliefs influence the way they work, and how that would contradict the way I would work with them.